Snap-hook



(No Model.)

J. G. COVERT.

SNAP HOOK.

Patented Dec. 11, 1894.

m: mums mins 00,. Pno'muma, wasnmmon n c UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES ofoovEE'r, or WEST TROY, NEW YORK.

SNAP-HOOK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 530,750, dated December11, 1 894. Application filed July'2'7, 1894. Serial No. 518,693.(NomodeL) To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMEs'O. COVERT, a citizen of the United States,residing at West Troy, county of Albany, and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Similar letters refer to similar partsin theseveral figures therein.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a view in perspective of my improvedsnap-hook. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the same on an enlargedscale. Fig. 3 is a cross-section taken on the broken line 33, in Fig. 1.Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the blank casting. Fig. 5 is across-section taken on the broken line 55,

in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a view in side elevation of the bolt. Fig. 7 is anend view of the same.

My invention relates to that class of snaphooks in which a hook and loopare connected by and integral with atubular body, in which aspring-actuated bolt is placed and moved to and from the hook. In allsuch construetions heretoforethe body part of the opened casting orblank from which the barrel is formed, is U-shape in cross section, sothat when the sides are bent toward each other or closed in, to form thebarrel or slide-way the said slide-way for the bolt was approximatelycircular in cross section and engaged the bolt on all sides. The boltemployed was also made approximately cylindrical throughout its length,except that it had a slightly tapered head. In such forms ofconstruction, a slight variation due to wrapping the patterns, slightimperfections due to various causes Well known to foundryinen, andirregularities in bending the sides of the casting to form the barrel,will each prevent the bolt from moving freelyin the barrel so formed andcause a sufiicient variation in the axial line of an inserted bolt torender the completed article unsalable;

downward toward the bottom of the barrel whereby the bolt engages whenoperated the inclined sides only of the barrel or slide-way and isitself engaged on its opposite sides only. Any imperfections on thebottom of the barrel or on the lower side of the bolt, in myconstruction of device, will not engage each other or interfere with thesuccessful operation and easy movement of the bolt. Furthermore, in allsimilar constructions the bolts are made of cast metal, and in moldswhich are necessarily parted on a plane biseeting the thu1nb-piece,aswell as the bolt, thereby occasionally forming a fin or ridge on thelower side of the bolt which must ongage the bottom of the barrel orslide-way unless the tin is removed which involves considerable'laborand expense.

In myimproved construction of snap hook all irregularities on the bottomof the bolt and irregularities in the bottom of the barrel do notrequire removal, as the bolt is never formed to engage the bottom orsides of the groove in the barrel, but engages with the sides of thebarrel above the groove. The usual the mb-piece on the belt which worksin the usual guide slot in the upper side of the barrel, serves toprevent the bolt from rotating and keeps the irregularities on the otherside of the bolt within the groove out of contact with the walls of thebarrel. The groove being in the same vertical plane with the thumb-pieceand the bolt being pressed down thereby when operated, it will be seenthat such downward pressure will not force the irregularities on thebase of the bolt into contact with the base of the barrel or anyirregularities thereon.

Anotherimportant advantage in the formation of the groove in the bottomof the barrel which groove is preferably V-shape in cross section, is inpreventing the unequal shrinkage of the casting or metal at the junctionof the hook and barrel.

In the usual form of snap-hooks of this class a considerable amount ofmetal is found at the junction of the hook and body part and a blank ator near such junction is often rendered defective by the unequalshrinkage of the metal at that point. I have discovered that a V-shapegroove extending at an incline from the base of the barrel into thismass of metal materially decreases the imperfections due to shrinkage,and by deepening the groove slightly at the place of junction of thebody and hook as shown in Fig. 2, the mass is effectually divided andgradually reduced permitting thereby an equal cooling of the entire massand resultingin the production of a perfect casting.

Referring to the drawings A is the hook and A the loop, connected by abody part B which is integral with both hook and loop. The blank is castwith a central longitudinal groove 13' in the body part and usually withthe hook inclined to one side. After the casting has been annealed orrendered malleable in the usual manner the sides of the body portion arebent toward each other to form the barrel or slide-way. A coil spring Sis inserted in the tubular portion with one end bearing on the seat Aand the bolt 0 is then inserted and rests against the other end of thespring, whereupon the hook is bent in line with the outer end of thebolt in the usual and well known manner. Anydesired space may be leftbetween the introverted sides 13 except that a suitable space is left onthe hook end of the body to form the guide slot 13 adapted to receivethe shank O which conmeets the thumb-piece proper C with the body of thebolt. The corners of the side at theloop end are beveled or contractedso as to form an opening B when the sides are introverted. The V-shapedgroove is deepened or tapered at the hook end of the barrel as shown soas to extend down into the base of the shank of the hook itself, as seenin Fig.

2, whereby the heaviest part of the device is gradually reduced tosubstantially correspond in thickness with the thickness of other partsfor the reasons heretofore stated. The

bolt is contracted in size at C confining the bearing points thereof tothe inner end 0 and the section 0 extending from the contracted portionto the beveled head C. The general form of the body part of the bolt ismade approximately cylindrical and thereby adapted to be inclosed whollyby the tubular barrel. The upper surface of the bolt is leftlongitudinally straight with the upper surfaces of the part 0 and C forthe purpose of closing the slot B when the bolt is forced out by thespring.

In Fig. 7 I have shown a bolt formed with an irregularity or fin whichis occasionally formed during casting.

By contracting the body part of the bolt intermediate its ends it isbetter adapted for use in connection with the tubular barrel because itis, sure of end bearings and all rocking movement thereof is preventedwhich would cause the bolt to bind and render its operation difiicult.

l/Vhat I claim as my invention is- 1. In a bolt snap hook, a hook blankcomprising an integral barrel in which the bolt works, having alongitudinal groove in its base extending from a point at or near therear of the barrel to the hooked end thereof, and an elongated guideslot in the upper end of the barrel, substantially as described.

2. In a bolt snap hook, a hook blank comprising an integral barrel inwhich the bolt works, having a longitudinal groove in its base extendingto the hooked end thereof, increasing in depth toward the hooked end,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 24th day of July,1894..

JAMES C. COVERT.

Witnesses:

Gno. A. Mosnnn, FRANK O. CURTIS.

